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British Parking Awards 2015 winners revealedhttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40738

Two projects that seek to educate parents on how to park in a considerate manner around schools were among the winners of the British Parking Awards 2015. The South East Parking Group and Kent County Council received a Special Jury Prize for its Safer Parking Project, while Cambridgeshire County Council Road Safety won the Parking in the Community Award. Both initiatives have engaged directly with school children, teachers and parents in a bid to reduce the risk posed by dangerous parking....

]]>(News) Awards Lead StoryMon, 9 Mar 2015 15:04:00 GMTSpotlight on Parking event looks at CCTV and sensorshttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40645
‘Parking, the next mile’ is the theme of this year’s Spotlight on Parking, a free half-day seminar run by the London Borough of Hounslow and Alpha Parking on 17 March. Key speakers include Tony Porter, the surveillance commissioner, who is encouraging conformity with the new Surveillance Code of Practice. Kieran Fitsall, Westminster City Council’s head of service and transportation, will speak about parking sensors. Other speakers include Caroline...]]>(News) Parking PolicySat, 28 Feb 2015 06:45:00 GMTUnion boss slams rail parking costshttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40639

The head of the train drivers’ union has accused train operating companies (TOCs) of driving up the cost of parking for passengers. Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF said: “Every year the TOCs put up the price of parking, way ahead of inflation. It’s almost as if they want to drive people off the railways and onto the roads. The truth, of course, is that they are not in the business of running a public service, but of making as much profit as possible.” He...

Nursing staff have collected thousands of signatures on a petition calling for more parking provision at the soon to be opened £842m South Glasgow Hospitals campus. The facility on the site of the Southern General will have parking for 3,500 vehicles. It will be home to several specialist services with up to 10,000 NHS staff based there when it comes into operation. The South Glasgow University Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children are expected to be operational by mid-June....

Civil enforcement officers in Birmingham have been given a 20% rise under the city council’s policy that all new contracts must guarantee that staff are paid at least the National Living Wage. Last month the council retained parking enforcement firm NSL, signing a new five-year contract. NSL’s patrol staff have seen their salary increase from £6.50 to £7.85 an hour. Under the terms of Birmingham’s Business Charter for Social Responsibility, NSL will develop...

]]>(News) Business NewsSat, 28 Feb 2015 06:33:00 GMTNorthern Irish attendants gain life-saving skillshttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40634
Two NSL traffic attendants (TAs) in Northern Ireland have undergone a life-saving defibrillator training course. Geoffrey Johnston and Julie Beatty took the course after the introduction of two defibrillator kits by the district council. The training is designed to give local business owners, council workers and TAs the skills to use the equipment. NSL assistant client account manager Davy Craig said: “Following a request by the Police Service of Northern Ireland for...]]>(News) People NewsSat, 28 Feb 2015 06:32:00 GMTResident charge hike plan dropped by Northamptonshirehttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40633
A proposal to double the cost of parking permits in Northamptonshire has been withdrawn after opposition from local residents. Last year the County Council consulted with residents on plans to raise the cost of permits from £25 to £60 a year. Plans to increase the cost of second permits to £80, plus restrictions limiting the number of visitors a resident could have through a scratch-card scheme, have also been dropped. The council will instead raise the cost of a single...]]>(News) OperationalSat, 28 Feb 2015 06:31:00 GMTVINCI Park UK brings in Burnshttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40627

VINCI Park UK has appointed Phil Burns as its head of business development. Burns has worked in the parking sector for over 14 years, holding senior positions at the London Borough of Hillingdon, Aylesbury Vale District Council, the London Borough of Ealing and Transport for London. Most recently he has worked in the private sector, being a business development manager at APCOA Parking (UK). Phillip Herring, managing director of VINCI Park UK, said: “Phil has excellent experience and...

]]>(News) People NewsSat, 28 Feb 2015 06:08:00 GMTProject Centre promotes Cozenshttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40626
Adam Cozens has been promoted to the role of project director at consultant The Project Centre, which provides a range of urban design, traffic management and parking services. Cozens has been with the consultancy since 2009, working as head of client services. He was previously a director of Capital Highways and a civil engineering technician at Maunsell....]]>(News) People NewsSat, 28 Feb 2015 06:07:00 GMTAlpha Parking marks first decade with a rebrandhttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40625
Alpha Parking has adopted a new logo and relaunched its website to mark its tenth anniversary. Penny Winder, director of Alpha Parking, said: “Over the past ten years Alpha has established itself as one of the few consultancy companies that specialises in parking. The new website will not only showcase our skills but provide parking related information, links and videos, as well as access to our social media services, including Twitter and the Alpha Parking blog. The site will be for all...]]>(News) Business NewsSat, 28 Feb 2015 06:05:00 GMTIn search of parkings superstarshttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40623

When TV presenter and Paralympian Ade Adepitan takes to the stage at the Lancaster London Hotel on Friday 6 March the air of anticipation will be intense. The sense of drama at the annual lunch is utterly real because the winners are kept secret until the day of the event. The awards were launched in 2002 by Parking Review magazine because we wanted to recognise achievement and excellence across the parking sector. The categories are designed to reflect the fact that the simple word...

A campaign has been launched to prevent the view from a south London car park being blocked by future tower block developments. An online petition is urging the London Borough of Southwark not to allow any high-rise buildings adjacent to the multi-storey car park in Peckham. During the spring and summer the car park’s upper floors host the Bold Tendencies art exhibitions and Multi-Story Orchestra music events, while the roof deck is a pop-up café-bar called Frank’s. The...

The short list for the British Parking Awards 2015 has been published. The winners of the annual competition will be revealed by Ade Adepitan, the Paralympic wheelchair basketball player and TV presenter, at the Lancaster Hotel in London on Friday 6 March. The awards, which have been organised by Parking Review since 2002, recognise excellence and achievement in the parking sector. To see the short list click here The competition encompasses many aspects of the parking sector, with...

]]>(News) AwardsTue, 3 Feb 2015 11:46:00 GMTPavement Parking Bill debate delayed for second timehttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40416
A debate on a Private Members Bill that seeks to make pavement parking illegal throughout England and Wales has been delayed in the House of Commons for a second time. The Bill, proposed by Martin Horwood, Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham, had been due to have its second reading in the House of Commons on 12 September. A lack of Parliamentary time meant the debate was rescheduled for 9 January, but it has now been postponed again. It is now expected to take place on 27 March....]]>(News) Parking PolicySun, 1 Feb 2015 11:44:00 GMTBPA and WAMITAB set to expand training portfoliohttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40404

The British Parking Association (BPA) has made a commitment to raising skills standards of individuals by developing new qualifications. It is just over a year since the BPA launched a suite of qualifications for parking enforcement and notice processing staff in partnership with an awarding body called WAMITAB (the Waste Management Industry Training and Advisory Board). Since 1 January 2014, approved training centres have been able to offer two BPA WAMITAB parking qualifications. There...

Many parking providers now recognise the importance of engaging with motorists as customers. Interactions take place in person, over the phone, online and via letters. Each such encounter provides an opportunity to create a positive impression, to resolve problems and generate future business. There are a range of customer service courses on the market, but now one has been developed specifically for the parking sector by training provider Alpha Parking working in partnership with City &...

]]>(Products & Services) TrainingSat, 31 Jan 2015 14:32:00 GMTA good manager must be a people personhttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40401

Relationship management is one of the fundamental aspects of a parking manager’s role. Their role requires them to deal with a diverse range of people, including customers, the public, clients and landowners, as well as their own staff. Being able to successfully manage engagement across this spectrum is one of the most challenging aspects of this position. Parking managers who can engage and communicate clearly with each of the groups they deal with are ultimately those that go on to...

Car parking is not always seen as an industry that has been first to embrace the training and development techniques and tools that are commonplace elsewhere. However, the team at NCP has been adopting a range of training and skills development approaches, and developing a number of its own as part of a shared training and development vision whichaims to instil its brand values in staff. The company says that this is vital if the industry is to continue to raise its standards. NCP’s...

Parking is a service sector that employs thousands of people, with those working on the front line wearing uniforms that need to be smart, comfortable and, especially in a traffic environment, safe and visible. Stretching back to the era of traffic wardens, there has long been a tradition of kitting parking patrol staff in police style uniforms that convey a sense of authority. However, over the years there have been examples of parking companies and councils that have adopted a softer look to...

When communities secretary Eric Pickles abolished Labour’s (already weakened) national parking standards in 2011, he cloaked his announcement in the language of localism: “We’re getting out of the way and it’s up to councils to set the right parking policy for their area.” But, of course, politicians only “get out of the way” when they believe this will move things in their preferred direction. Three years later, the Coalition’s intellectual...

Mandy Ainsworth has left the parking sector to join the NHS South CSU (commissioning support unit) as performance lead. This represents a return to Ainsworth’s roots; she joined Worthing’s parking team in 2007 having spent eight years as monitoring manager at Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust. At Worthing she was handed the task of implementing parking enforcement. In 2008 her remit was extended to manage Worthing’s car parks and its contract with NCP. Later that...

Westminster City Council has promoted Kieran Fitsall to the role of head of service improvement and transformation (city management and communities). Fitsall was previously the council’s service development manager for parking. During that period he oversaw the introduction of new sensor-based street parking management, the ParkRight app and parking marshals who are tasked with advising rather than penalising motorists. He joined the city council parking team in 1995 as a policy &...

]]>(News) People NewsSat, 31 Jan 2015 13:50:00 GMTMan jailed for two months for assaulting Irish parking attendanthttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40386
A driver has been sentences to two months in prison by an Irish court for assaulting a traffic warden employed by APCOA Parking Ireland. James McDonagh, 22, from the large Irish town in north Fingal, pleaded guilty at Swords District Court in December 2014, after the Court heard that he had used threatening and abusive behaviour towards warden Peter Mirolo. McDonagh, who had been charged with a string of public violations prior to the parking altercation, erupted after he received a...]]>(News) CrimeSat, 31 Jan 2015 12:33:00 GMTSillars named new CEO of Institute of Advanced Motoristshttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40384
The Institute of Advanced Motorists has appointed Sarah Sillars as its new chief executive. She joins the IAM after working at Semta, the sector skills council for the engineering and advanced engineering industries. The IAM provides driver and rider training, including the advanced driving test. It has over 90,000 members. Sillars said that she will focus on accident reduction. “The IAM has played a unique role in lowering the numbers of people killed and injured on UK roads. Many...]]>(News) People NewsSat, 31 Jan 2015 12:30:00 GMTPR relieves parking problems at Welsh hospitalhttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40243
Overcrowding at a Camarthen hospital car park is to be addressed by extending the local park & ride service. Buses will link the Nantyci P&R with the town centre and Glangwili Hospital twice an hour from 9 February. Hywel Dda University Health Board officials hope the P&R option will make parking “a little easier” during busy times at the hospital. Staff and visitors will be encouraged to leave their cars and take the bus link to ease congestion at the...]]>(News) OperationalThu, 15 Jan 2015 13:26:00 GMTOver 100 entries compete for British Parking Awards gloryhttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40129

Innovative thinking and a commitment to best practice are very much in evidence in the 100-plus entries we have received for this year’s British Parking Awards. The challenge facing the jury over the next two months will be whittling down this impressive list of entries into a short list which will be debated at length. The winners, to be revealed by Paralympian and TV presenter Ade Adepitan in London on 6 March, will represent the best of the best in British parking today. Now...

]]>(News) News Lead StoryTue, 30 Dec 2014 14:38:00 GMTThree-point turn may vanish from Driving Testhttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40115
Changes to the UK driving test could see the three-point turn scrapped from the practical section of the test as part of the biggest update to the exam in 20 years. The changes are being proposed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). It is expected that around 1,000 learner drivers at 20 testing centres across the UK will take part in the year-long trial. The trial will explore the following options: extending the ‘independent driving’ section from...]]>(News) Parking PolicyMon, 29 Dec 2014 14:00:00 GMTNSL employee rescues crashed driverhttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40111

An NSL employee working on behalf DVLA rescued a driver who crashed their car in South Wales last month. Dale Wood was on patrol on Tredegar Road in Bridgend when he noticed an untaxed vehicle on 8 December. The motorist realised his vehicle had been noted and sped off. The driver lost control of the car, which skidded off the road, flipping over three times. Wood rushed to the motorist’s assistance, opened the car door and pulled the driver out. He then called the emergency...

Hammersmith & Fulham’s parking projects and policy manager Naveed Ahmed is to join the strategy planning division at Transport for London (TfL). In his new role he will focus on clean air initiatives, walking, cycling and sustainable transport. Ahmed joined the London borough in 2004 as a graduate, and took a year’s sabbatical in 2007 to complete an MSc at the London School of Economics, with a particular focus on transport planning. He went on to design an intelligent...

]]>(News) People NewsMon, 29 Dec 2014 13:07:00 GMTNSL to support Alzheimers Societyhttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40102
NSL has chosen the Alzheimer’s Society as its official charity for 2015. The charity won out over a list of charities that the company’s 5,250 staff were asked to vote on. The Alzheimer’s Society is proving successful in raising awareness of dementia and the various symptoms it presents in sufferers. Some of NSL’s staff have recently become Dementia Friends, which requires training to recognise, understand and assist those afflicted with the condition. NSL civil...]]>(News) Parking Policy Lead StoryMon, 29 Dec 2014 13:06:00 GMTTotal Car Parks expands back office teamhttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=40101

Total Car Parks has been expanding its administration team. In November Theresa Magson joined as new business administrator and Laura Garner as junior administrator. They join a team comprising Ryan Taylor, Leigh Cunningham and Cheryl Anten. The company is a supporter of both the Prince’s Trust, which is how Total came to employ Ryan Taylor last year. Following a period of unemployment, Taylor found himself involved in the Prince’s Trust ‘Team Programme’, a free 12-week...

Cameron Findlay has moved from West Suffolk Parking Services to become parking manager at the London Borough of Redbridge. At West Suffolk he was responsible for off-street car parks, residential parking schemes and seasonal park & ride in Bury St Edmunds. Findlay was named Parking Person of the Year at the British Parking Awards 2013. The award recognised initiatives such as creating a ‘Low Emission Vehicle Car Park’, which catered exclusively for drivers of greener...

Innovative thinking and a commitment to best practice are very much in evidence in the 100-plus entries we have received for this year’s British Parking Awards. The challenge facing the jury over the next two months will be whittling down this impressive list of entries into a short list which will be debated at length. The winners, to be revealed by Paralympian and TV presenter Ade Adepitan in London on 6 March, will represent the best of the best in British parking today. To see the...

When Nottingham’s workplace parking levy (WPL) was launched in April 2012, it had a good many detractors among the city’s business community. Firms complained the scheme would erode their profit margins. Nottingham’s biggest company, Boots, threatened to move its 3,000 parking spaces outside the city to avoid paying the levy. But more than two years on, most of the misgivings about the scheme appear to have subsided. And, importantly, the WPL is fulfilling its core purpose of...

Catching a flight can be stressful, and many people who park their cars at airports are often distracted. Occasionally people will inadvertently leave car windows partially or fully open, leaving their interiors exposed to the elements. It has been customary at many airports for parking staff to tape plastic to open windows. But the Ground Transportation Customer Service Team at Bristol Airport felt this was both fiddly work and did not look professional, so set about looking for a smarter...

]]>(Products & Services) TechnologyMon, 29 Dec 2014 12:35:00 GMTThe Kissing It Better parking prescriptionhttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=39937
The NHS was set up to care for people from cradle to grave. At the healthcare charity Kissing It Better we believe that many patients’ perception of their care could be significantly improved if it started in the car park. We hope the following ideas help NHS Trusts and their parking management teams provide a better experience for patients and their visitors. Send a clear letter to everyone who has a booked appointment, warning them of any potential parking issues and enclosing a...]]>(Features) HospitalsMon, 1 Dec 2014 12:28:00 GMTAde Adepitan to host British Parking Awards 2015http://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=39936

Ade Adepitan, television presenter and Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, will present the British Parking Awards, which take place at the Lancaster Hotel in London on Friday 6 March. Having survived polio as a youngster, Ade Adepitan has gone on to compete as a wheelchair basketball player on an international level and has since built up a wealth of broadcasting experience. An instantly recognisable face, Ade traverses the world for BBC World’s The Travel Show and is a reporter on...

]]>(News) News Lead StoryMon, 1 Dec 2014 09:30:00 GMTTwo men charged with assault on Redbridge CEOshttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=39927
Two men have been charged with assaulting a pair of civil enforcement officers while on patrol in Woodford Green in the London Borough of Redbridge. The incident occurred on 20 August when the driver and his passenger attacked a CEO as he was issuing a penalty charge notice. His colleague was also injured during the incident. The assault, which took place near Woodford Tube station at 2.40pm, was witnessed by several bystanders including children. The two CEOs work for Redbridge’s...]]>(News) CrimeSat, 29 Nov 2014 13:56:00 GMTCivil enforcement officer attacked on patrol in Worthinghttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=39925
A carpenter who attacked a civil enforcement officer (CEO) in Worthing, West Sussex, has been jailed. After receiving a penalty charge notice, Dale Fish drove his car at the CEO, before punching and knocking him to the ground. The offence occurred on 19 February. Fish was sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to dangerous driving and actual bodily harm at Chichester Crown Court. A spokeswoman for parking enforcement company NSL said the CEO, who has not been named,...]]>(News) CrimeSat, 29 Nov 2014 13:54:00 GMTInsurance company plans to reduce staff parking in Bexhillhttp://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/parking_review/news/?id=39924
Insurance company Hastings Direct plans to reduce the number of staff cars parked on surrounding roads by up to 400. After six months of discussion, Hastings Direct has come up with a list of solutions to reduce the number of employee cars parked on residential streets around its Conquest House headquarters in Bexhill. Hastings Direct is seeking planning permission to increase the firm’s car park by around 250 spaces. Ideas include staff working from alternative locations, improving...]]>(News) OperationalSat, 29 Nov 2014 13:52:00 GMT